best and worst realtime Valentine Story

	The Good
	Good Morning, Valentine On my second Valentine's Day with my boyfriend, he woke me up in the morning with breakfast in bed. This was a big deal to him since he was not what you would call a "morning person" or a good cook at that. After the breakfast in bed he told me he would clean up and I could come downstairs when I was ready. After I showered and put on my makeup I decided to go downstairs. I thought breakfast in bed was great and wasn't expecting anything else. But when I was about to walk down the stairs I saw it; each step on the way down had a rose and a little note attached to it. The notes were each a line to a poem he wrote for me and as I walked down the stairs I read each line. By the time I got to the bottom I realized I would have to put my makeup on all over again but I didn't care because it was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen! Brittany R., Chicago, IL
	The Moving Van and My Valentine Back in 2002 my boyfriend of five months came and moved me out from Kansas City, MO to Arizona. We decided after me flying out for 5 months that we were madly in love and couldn't resist another day without each other. He gathered two of his best friends and rented a moving truck. He came to my apartment by surprise and said "I can't live another day without you I need you by me each day." We had talked about me moving out but had not set an exact date. My best friend/roommate had known the whole time! She even let my work know and had given my 2 week notice. Not only did he have a moving van but also had an engagement ring attached to him that I was told I needed to find something. I had to close my eyes and search. To my surprise I found it tucked well underneath his shorts! This was the best Valentine's Day ever! Amber L., Glendale, AZ
	Petals of Love For Valentine’s Day a couple years ago, my fiancé and I planned to a have a quiet dinner at home – crab, steak, wine, the works. I was looking forward to it all day – but one thing after another kept going wrong. On my way home from work, I called him to apologize for being so late and to explain how horrendous traffic was. He told me to take a deep breath, concentrate on the road and that he’d see me when I got home. When I finally did arrive, he led me straight to the bedroom where he’d spelled out “I love you” on the bed in rose petals, undressed me and led me to the bathroom where he’d drawn me a bath with more rose petals and a glass of wine. Just what I needed! What started as such a mess ended up being one of the best nights of my life! Krissi H., Auburn, WA
	Silver Anniversary I was married on Valentine's Day, going on 26 years ago this year, but I have to say my husband really got me good last year on our silver anniversary last year. He can never surprise me, but he did this time. He plotted, planned and looked for over a years or so to find the right new vehicle for me, then had them hold it, made plans at a nice small romantic restaurant by the fireplace. Everything was done in silver. We were waited on hand and foot, then he presented me with a beautiful card and a small silver box, I thought it was jewelry of course, but when I opened the box, there were a set of car keys. He grabbed my hand and said "run." We ran out of the restaurant, down the street and around the corner there was a brand new blue Jeep with the biggest silver bow I have ever seen. His nephew took pictures of the whole thing to catch my expressions. It was great and one romantic Valentine's Day! Mrs. Butterfly
	“You've Got Daisies” At the end of January, 2005 I met my now husband. We met in a mall where he worked and quickly established a friendship. We enjoyed watching movies and one of my favorites is "You’ve Got Mail". I always love when the Tom Hanks' character brings a bouquet of daisies to Meg Ryan. I believe that is the sweetest gesture ever because it is so unique. It’s not the typical bundle of roses. So I was so surprised when sometime in the month of February my man came over holding the biggest and most beautiful bouquet of daisies. I started crying like a baby because I couldn’t believe that he remembered such a small detail. It meant so much to me that he paid attention to what I liked. That day he proposed and in December we got married. Recently we celebrated our 1st anniversary. Laríe, Puerto Rico
	Surprise Dinner So leading up to last Valentine's Day my son's dad and I were having a hard time with each other. So I went home for a month so that we could work on our relationship. So Valentine's Day was rolling around and he's not that good in the "romance" department so I took the initiative. I told him that we were going out somewhere, but didn't tell him where. I brought the kitchen table into the front room upstairs and placed a huge heart candle in the middle, then sprinkled heart and love confetti all over it with the places set and his card on his plate. Then once he came in the front and saw it all, I came in the back way, with dinner. We had steak, new potatoes, fresh green beans, salad, champagne and a small heart covered cake. He was so amazed! He said he felt as if he was dreaming. After dinner we went to a Valentine's party my brother was throwing, then back home for Chocolate covered strawberries, dipped by moi (that stuck to the plate I put them on because I forgot the wax paper) and a bath with rose petals. It was a Valentine's Day that he and I will never forget! April B.
	...and the Bad
	Black Valentine's Although the relationship with my fiancé of five years was on rocky waters, I was hopeful that Valentine's Day would help make things a little better. After all, our wedding day was set for the end of February and all these issues could just be a matter of ‘cold feet'. Two days before Valentine's Day, he called me and told me that we were going out to eat on Valentine's Day and he had something important to tell me. I was excited about the news and looked forward to it. Valentine's Day came around and I was dressed and prepped for the big night and the big news that he was to tell me. He picked me up, no flowers, which was odd. Dinner went by very solemnly and extremely quiet on his part. Finally, the silence broke, not of laughter or joy, but of my quiet whimpering and tears. He had told me that he wanted to be out of the relationship and that he had no intention of going forward with the wedding. And to further add insult to injury, he knocked up his co-worker, who has been pregnant for over 4 months. What do you say to that? Valentines never felt the same again, at least in my memories, Valentine will always remain black like a prank from Halloween. Tori D., Springfield, VA
	The Very Blind Date As I was coming up on my third Valentine’s Day alone, I decided that this year would be different. No girls’ movie night, because all my girlfriends are dating, no self pity, I was going to find a date. Enter internet dating. I tried one site and within two days I had an email from a guy who seemed to be quite promising. He was tall, smart, handsome, and claimed to be pursuing a career in law. It sounded great, so we emailed back and forth for a few days and then I called him. We set up our first date for Valentine’s Day. I was so excited that I spent hours pondering over what to wear and how to do my hair. Finally, the time came to meet him at the restaurant. Seeing no sign of him in the crowded lobby, I stood in my corner and waited. I noticed a strange guy staring at me and before I knew it he was next to me. He asked me what time it was and then he asked me if I was there to meet him. Too bad I had posted accurate pictures, because he certainly had not. The guy who stood next to me was about 5 years and ninety pounds different than the picture that he had posted. I was not happy. Then I happened to glance at what he was wearing. Now, call me a snob, but this guy had no class. He decided to pair black sweat pants (that were about three inches too short) with brown socks and white New Balance tennis shoes. To top it all off, he added what was probably his dressiest shirt: a green striped, fuzzy Christmas sweater. Needless to say, there was no second date, and I’ve sworn off internet dating entirely. Rebecca, Akron, Ohio
	Boyfriend No More A few years ago I broke up with my boyfriend on Valentine's Day. He came over and brought me flowers and I just could not take it anymore! He was jealous and overbearing so I decided the best way to spend Valentine's Day that year was with my best friend! We watched movies and ate chocolate all day! Jenn, New York
	The Secondhand Engagement Ring I was hired by a gal named Paula*, who was engaged to a guy named Donald*. Paula introduced me to Donald, who introduced me to Donald’s brother, Dan. We "clicked" immediately and were soon dating heatedly. One night when the four of us were together in a place we frequented, Don and Paula announced that they were ending their engagement until they could work some things out. Dan and I continued on.On Valentine's Day of 1992, Dan presented me with an engagement ring, and we made plans to marry that May. Little did I know that the ring was purchased by Donald and would have been for Paula, had they stayed engaged! When Paula saw my ring, she flipped out...it was the ring she had told Don she wanted from the jeweler’s! Then I got angry that Dan would give me a ring that he didn't pick out himself...I was humiliated! My Valentine's memory was ruined!Dan and Donald were truly puzzled by our reaction (it's just a ring, after all)...and both were eventually forgiven. Dan and I married in May, and Donald and Paula married in August. The four of us got together the very next Valentine's Day and had a good laugh at ourselves! Carol C., Hoquiam, WA